20 COVID-19 Cases Today (8 May); 7 are Community Cases


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Due to the recently tighten COVID-19 measures, many of us are forced to cancel our initial Mother’s Day celebration plan and go for a simpler idea. As we scramble for last-minute solutions, we must not forget that we have 10 active clusters in Singapore now.

And quite a number of community cases.

As of 12pm today (8 May), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 20 new cases of COVID-19 infection.

7 are community cases. 2 are linked to previous cases and had already been placed on quarantine. MOH will provide more details about the cases tonight.

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 61,331.

Based on yesterday’s figures, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 35 cases in the week before to 43 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 6 cases in the week before to 9 cases in the past week.

3 of 4 Community Cases Reported Yesterday Were Unlinked; 1 of Them Visited Raffles Hospital for His Heart Condition

Of the four community cases reported yesterday (7 May), three were unlinked.

One is a 72-year-old retiree who had been sent to Raffles Hospital for a heart condition on Wednesday (5 May).

The Singaporean man tested positive for COVID-19 the next day even though he was asymptomatic. His serology test has come back positive, indicating past infection.

This suggests he could be shedding minute fragments of the virus from a past infection which are no longer infective to others, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

But the ministry is taking all the necessary precautions since it can’t definitively conclude when the man was infected.

The man completed his vaccination regimen on 15 Mar, having received the first dose on 22 Feb.

While he regularly visits Tan Tock Seng Hospital Eye Centre for an eye condition and was last there on 23 Apr, the authorities said there’s no evidence he’s linked to the hospital cluster, as he’d not visited any of the affected wards.

The second unlinked community case had also been vaccinated before her infection was detected – she received her first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine on 24 Jan and the second dose on 16 Feb.

The woman works as a cleaner at Park Avenue Rochester, which is a stay-home notice (SHN) dedicated facility.

The 53-year-old did not interact with guests, however.


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She developed a runny nose and sore throat at the end of her work day on Wednesday, and ran a fever the next day.

She was tested for COVID-19 at a general practitioner clinic where she sought treatment for her symptoms.

Her result came back positive on Friday and she was taken to Singapore General Hospital.

All of her rostered routine tests – the last of which fell on 29 Mar – were negative.

The last unlinked community case is a senior executive at IGWT who mostly works from home.


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The 48-year-old visits shipping vessels periodically for work, and last boarded one on 1 Mar.

He was swabbed on Wednesday for COVID-19 as part of the ministry’s testing protocol for shore-based personnel boarding vessels. Even though he was asymptomatic, his result came back positive and he was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, said MOH.

Like the 73-year-old retiree, this man could be shedding minute fragments of virus from a past infection that is no longer transmissible, as his CT value was very high.

The man had travelled to Russia last Oct and returned in Jan this year, serving a SHN upon his arrival until 13 Feb.

His test during his SHN came back negative.

Fourth Community Case Linked to Pasir Panjang Terminal Cluster

While no new cases have emerged from the Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster, one more case linked to the Pasir Panjang Terminal cluster has been detected.


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The Singaporean man is a family member and household contact of the 59-year-old trailer truck driver at Brani Terminal and Pasir Panjang Terminal whose infection was reported on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old was quarantined on the same day after being identified as a close contact. He developed chills the next day and reported his symptoms.

He also developed a fever on Thursday and tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day. He was then taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

His serology test has come back negative, indicating a fresh infection.

374 Active Cases

There are currently 138 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and 2 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.


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236 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

31 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com (Image for illustration purpose only)